A New Direction for Health Care and the Economy

It’s Monday Morning America, let us get this straight-up and sober! Literally, people are dying needlessly.

It’s November 2009 and your government announces that the recession is over according to an arcane GDP formula, which obviously has no basis in the real economic world. You might be out of your job, your house, and health care insurance nearing retirement age with a pre-existing medical condition, but your government says that their math is just fine. There goes your grandchild’s chance at college.

BECAUSE

At the same time foreclosures continue to rise at a record pace

Property values still are plummeting

The US dollar continues to lose against the Euro

Wages are generally frozen as well as worker benefits

The price of food, energy, medicine, and the basics for survival continue to increase

Civil rights, privacy, as well as states rights in the US is at a record low.

If we assume that economics should be a system of facilitating the distribution of goods, food, services, and medical care to the people, which it is supposed to serve, then one must ask, whom is it serving?

Comments

Seems like America is being colonized by would be slave owners. Here are the facts. I do not think they are arguable. Take a look.

Questions

The army hirings take much heat off the real unemployment figures.

Just imagine the real unemployment figures, if there were no war or army bases all over the globe?

What would happen to the real figures if there were no US mercenary jobs?

What would happen to the unemployment figures if the US defense industry were no longer financed by the treasury/pentagon/US taxpayer = growing debt which ransoms future generations.

What would happen to the economy and unemployment rates if the US did not have the highest per capita incarceration rate in the world (putting these people on the unemployment rolls)?

What would happen to the economic figures if the US did not farm out private contractors for Iraq, Afghanistan, and other missions?

What would happen to the false economic figures if the US did not farm out private contracting for domestic spying (called security or homeland security), for privatized prison systems, and other security state colossals?

I’m told not to worry, though, because these figures are not backed by REAL dollars. The debt has surpassed over a $10 trillion and the deficit for 2009 budget alone is over $1 Trillion dollars. So there is really no money, really, to support the GDP claim of growth, because all the growth are in industries that have been subsidized or are the result of the military, industrial, security state industry which is backing the oil companies (don’t forget the blood for oil campaign in Iraq and maybe Iran). We are living by ransoming our children.

With that going on, the US is printing money as fast as it can in order to pay Wall Street, bankers, insurance companies, security privateers (in new prisons, domestic spying, fences, mercenaries), military contractors, petro-chemical businesses (pesticide, chemical, pharmaceutical, and carbon based energy businesses), as well as bribe foreign governments while ransoming your grandchildren as payment.

All of which support the oil companies. However, where is the infrastructure projects, education projects, mass transportation planning, and a plan for peace (remember peace?). Where is the plan period?

Is there any money left over for Health Care?

One may ask, “how does this relate to healthcare”? Plenty.

First we must recognize, just as we eventually did in Vietnam is that the manufactured fear that the Taliban are our enemy and will invade America is a mass distraction. Distraction from what… uhh universal single payer affordable health care for one. We could also put in education, libraries, infrastructure, energy conservation, campaign/electoral reform, crime prevention, environmental protection, unemployment, agriculture policies, and many other factors that impact on those who are working and paying taxes every day, but we will stay with health care as the number one issue.

Certainly the weapons industry, military/industrial security complex, petrochemical industry, lending industry (call it finance), insurance industry, along with their lackey media, foundations, front groups, and paid off politicians will resist change on the grounds that their own self interests (money and power) will be threatened. That is to be expected. What must be recognized by the American/taxpayer and voter is that 9/11, the behemoth military/security industrial complex, the financial swindle, and debt has been caused by a failed American foreign policy. The American foreign policy of forcing other nations to do the bidding of big business and oil is obvious ending with an unprecedented war/security debt. Similarly domestic policies regarding crime, which is really a failure of unemployment and education, has created the world’s largest police state with the highest ratio of incarceration per population in the entire planet. All this has strapped positive domestic change. This has been effected on purpose in the hope of busting unions, creating a cheap labor market, while distracting attention to bogeymen who did not wear suits and ties.

What was not expected is that the majority of Americans would let them get away with it. That speaks to the power of the media and the failure of an educational system, less than to attempts to systematically confuse and misinform American citizens (an obvious fact to anyone who travels in Europe of Japan).

It is simple math to figure how to pay for a universal single payer health care system. There are two such obvious ways. The workers that the above industries already employ would be retrained and then employed serving others such as in the fields of health care, education, infrastructure rebuilding, and renewable energy/conservation where there is a burning need. Especially needed are orderlies, Clinical Nursing Assistants, elder care (such as in Adult Day Health), health maintenance counseling, etc. Since all those existing industries are subsidized either directly or indirectly by the taxpayer already including big oil. We are told by corrupt and spineless politicians (who are nothing but puppets) that there is money for these boondoggles, but not for health. Do we really need behemoth embassies in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, etc? Do we need costly military bases in over 120 countries and an elaborate domestic spying network at home? Is that not just wasted money, which subsidizes the oil and its allied lending/debt system? What is proposed is simple. Is that not the result of failed policy? Just simply shift the policies and then shift the money from these failed and corrupt parasitical systems and put it into health care. There will be tons of money left over as more people join the ranks of the employed and pay taxes, while leaving the ranks of unemployment, welfare, prison, and the disabled.

An even simpler method of funding is to simply create a national healthcare service similar to France, Italy, Australia, or the United Kingdom. All studies show that at least 30% reduction in costs will show. Since all costs are eventually passed on to the American taxpayer/consumer anyway, this is the most efficient system. In short we will show how the insurance company middleman situation adds to the world’s most costly disease care system on the planet (the US is the number one mostly costly system), yet one of the worse regarding heart disease, cancer, infant mortality rates, diabetes, and other serious illness. Here’s how.

The idiocy of a profit motivated disease care system: The more disease, the greater the profits

Disease pays, hence the motivation is to keep Americans sick. That makes economic sense to some, but not to me. What about you? In addition, that is just the obvious impacts. Did you know that corporations who give their employees health care benefits in turn receive that money back in terms of tax breaks? That doesn’t only subsidize big business (over that of small proprietors, mom and pop businesses, small farmers, etc), but also it subsidizes insurance companies. Right, US taxpayer money going directly to big business and insurance companies are a hidden cost not generally accounted for in the universal single payer health care debate!

Nevertheless, even more insidious is another hidden massive subsidy to the insurance companies is the fact that because health care is astronomical, not only health insurance policies are astronomical, but so are liability policies. How so? Well take a look at your automobile insurance policy and see if it covers over $250,000 personal injury liability per person. $250,000 would cover an ambulance ride, emergency room, an operation, 10 days in the ICU, and a little more. The rest comes out of your own pocket. How much does that insurance cost you, and what is your deductible? What happens to the victim after you file bankruptcy?

Just imagine every American has to have minimum automobile personal injury liability insurance. This is a tremendously lucrative business for the insurance companies. It is also counted in the GDP figure (the more insurance you pay, the higher the GDP figures become). What if healthcare was universal and single payer? Can you imagine what a gold mine this is because there is no universal health care? Well there would be no need for personal injury insurance unless maybe criminal negligence could be proven. Then the insurance companies could still make money selling criminal negligence policies.

Hey, it gets better. Every homeowner and business carries liability insurance in case some one is injured on his or her premises. Even churches carry these policies. They skyrocket in price according to the cost of health costs; i.e., the higher the disease care costs, the higher the liability insurance policies. Health maintenance does not come into play in any of these policies. Can you imagine what the costs that are passed on to the US citizen as taxpayer, consumer, and user? Businesses however can use their insurance as tax write offs (hence the government subsidizes them). The insurance companies don’t care. It’s like a gift from the taxpayer directly to the insurance companies. Now add up the liability insurance for every property, business, and building in the US and you get an idea of why the insurance companies stand to lose a big bundle if a single payer universal health care system replaces the current profit motivated disease care system.

Hey, we are not even factoring in all the massive liability lawsuits, malpractice suits against doctors, lawyer costs, court costs, and their resultant liability insurance policies all due to the lack of universal health care costs. I ask you, why are not these hidden costs (the consumer and taxpayer pays for) are not factored in when the cost of a universal single payer health care system is debated???

Given the above scenario, the GDP would actually go down if insurance companies made less of a profit and received fewer subsidies (indirect as it may be). Hence, the GDP formula becomes more than useless to the taxpayer. It is less than irrelevant, rather it is disinformation created by rogues, masking the best long-term interests of the majority of Americans.

Yet another even more insidious hidden massive subsidy to the insurance companies by maintaining a for-profit disease care system motive, where disease pays, and that is the motivation (profit). The more disease, the greater the profit. That translates that if there were massive diseases, then there would be record profits. Hence, the GDP would be expected to increase. Now that’s really crazy. In a healthy society, more disease would not be a sign of a healthy economy of course.

Add it all up. This is not a democracy; rather it is an autocracy

All of the above amounts to a massive government subsidy (read taxpayer) pouring into the economy to perk up the GDP, but its not real money. Rather it is borrowed from the future generations (your children). Given the massive military related entitlements accrued since Vietnam War, the Gulf War, and now Afghanistan and Iraq (constant warfare), there is no end in sight. Add to this that there is no universal healthcare system in the US compared to other countries; it is obvious that America is more than bankrupt. add to that that America lags behind in converting to a non-oil dependent industry, economy, and infra-structure as compared to Europe, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand, the future is less likely to get better for the Americans.

Today gasoline and petrochemical prices are artificially subsidized by the above subsidies, but when the petroleum runs out, an addicted America will become more than bankrupt doubly

Triply more than Bankrupt?

First, there is the moral or spiritual bankruptcy of ransoming American children for an unpayable debt. They will be the slaves of the future for any country who will buy US bonds and securities. Notice that the deficit of trade just with China alone in 2008 topped $750 Billion.

Additionally the US is more than triply bankrupt morally, because if you have money you get medical care. If you don’t, then you die. The rich live, while the poor die. Can you call that democracy?

This is generally true (a few exceptions of course), that if you are poor you are far more likely to go to jail, then if you are rich. The quality of good lawyers in the public defender system reflects a morally bankrupt system as compared to the money and expertise capable to be launched by the prosecution. If you are poor, you won’t get a good pre-school, elementary or high school education. You won’t go to college. In short, you are born poor and die poor, unless you join the military. In that case, you die young. This is also called democracy.

The price of education has skyrocketed for college, while if some one gets a college loan, they will most likely have to become a corporate slave for over 15 years to pay the loan off. This stimulates young children to decide that the only wise choice is to make money being a corporate robot.

The quality of public high school education has plummeted, where poor children located in poor areas do not get a good education, so they do not go to college in general. They have the option of joining the military if they can get a GED or manage to be passed. They can sell their bodies or body parts, blood, or become a domestic slave for the rich. They can also get a minimum wage job, or they can become an outlaw and go to jail, or they can join the military. Not many choices. This is being redefined as, democracy.

Is America Working?

Not with record unemployment rates, low education achievement, massive debt, the lack of a real time economy, the lack of adequate health care, the most costly health care system in the world (yet rated 37 in quality by WHO), the highest incarceration rate per capita in the world, and the largest debt that the world has ever witnessed.

We could go on, but I think any sane person would agree that there is room for improvement. This is something to think about anyway. Let’s get the parasites out of government so that these subsidies, rogue politicians, and disinformation formulas (such as the GDP) do not weaken or kill us any more.

Please study the above basic figures and think about a healthy, moral, and sustainable future – a country where you would be proud for your grandchildren’s children to live. Let’s make America work for all the people, the rich and poor, you and I, the children, everybody. Take it back!

What about the mainstream media? It’s owned, bought by, and controlled by the autocracy. They hire servants and pay them well. It is an agency of DISINFORMATION, part of an international plan to protect their wealth and power. This isn’t news to Europeans, but it seems strange to many Americans who have become inured to depend on the mainstream media for information.

The more disease, the greater the profits. Disease pays, hence the motivation is to keep Americans sick. That makes economic sense to a small minority, but not to me. What about you?